1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a single component that is capable of performing both gear and bearing functions. More particularly, the invention relates to a modular design incorporating gear bearings so as to facilitate ease of manufacture and assembly, disassembly and repair of gear bearing components.
2. Background Description
Gearing systems generally are well known. The manufacture and assembly of gearing systems is often a time consuming and expensive process. This is particularly true for gearing systems that are assembled for use in mechanical actuators and vehicular transmissions. Such gearing systems may include a planetary gearing arrangement. A typical planetary gearing arrangement might include an inner gear member and an outer gear member, each of which engages a plurality of planet gear members. Typically an input member is operatively connected to one of the gear members in the planetary gear set with means provided to operatively connect a power output member to another of the gear members in the planetary gear set. The manufacture and assembly of such an arrangement can be challenging, especially in light of the different components that may be necessary to create a planetary gearing system for a mechanical actuator or a vehicular transmission. There have been technological advances to reduce the number of components needed for such gearing arrangements. One technological advance is combining the gearing and bearing functions in one component thereby reducing the number of components necessary for a planetary drive gearing arrangement. Using gear bearing components result in a smaller and simpler design that is easier to assemble compared to existing ball bearing designs.
While various gearing systems may seek to simplify gearing arrangements so as to provide for a more simplistic design, many such systems are still very complicated, expensive and time consuming to assemble or disassemble. Consequently, some planetary gearing arrangements are not widely used. Thus, there has been a long felt need for an innovation that can make virtually any gearing arrangement practical to manufacture, assemble and disassemble. There is a need to provide a planetary gearing arrangement that is more economically feasible to manufacture and maintain.